Miracles Do Happen

I have always believed that miracles happen. I am sixteen, but I have lived long enough to say that miracles are possible. When people think of miracles, they usually think of Jesus turning water into wine or a paralyzed man suddenly able to walk with new medication. The truth is that miracles happen everyday all around the world. People just don’t see it.

I have witnessed one particular miracle in my life. One of my best friends fell very ill with viral pneumonia this past summer. I didn’t expect it at all because it came all of a sudden. She had to stay in a coma for several weeks, and I was terrified that she would get worse. Within a few months, she gradually gained her strength back. My friend is now getting back to normal. I always think about how miraculous this was, and everyday I realize how thankful I am that she is still alive and getting her health back.

But miracles are not always such an enormous deal. They can happen on a daily basis. For example, a single mother works two jobs and still manages to take care of her kids. That’s a miracle. A high school drop-out who decides to go back to school and get their diploma. That’s a miracle. A cancer victim gets cured completely when he had almost zero chance of survival at the start. That’s a miracle. Sometimes if you have enough determination and hope, miracles can happen.

You can also watch miracles happen by helping someone in need. It would be rewarding to work in a rehabilitation center and witness sick or disabled people gain their health back slowly. Working at a rehabilitation center for people suffering from addiction can be a way to witness a miracle. Helping someone stay away from alcohol and helping them beat the addiction is witnessing a miracle. Seeing them healthier and happier can be the most rewarding experience. The fact that they have made a 180 degree turn and their life is 100% better than what it was when you first met that person is just the most wonderful event to witness.

I have witnessed quite a few miracles in my life. Some are expected, others are not. Some are gigantic miracles, others are everyday. But it is always worth it to experience any kind of miracle. It makes me realize how important the people in my life are and how lucky I am to have what I have, and to be what I am. Miracles do happen: this I believe.

Shop on Amazon and support This I Believe

We receive up to 10% of every purchase you make on Amazon through this link. So do all your shopping here and help support This I Believe!

Top 100 Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

This week’s essay

Following her grandmother’s death, Priya Chandrasekaran wondered what to do with the colorful silk saris she inherited. In deciding to make a quilt from them, Chandrasekaran believes she found a way to both honor her grandmother and create something new. Click here to read her essay.